Reason For Hot Flashes

When a sudden wave of intense heat rushes through your body, you become extremely uncomfortable and break into a sweat. You are consumed by this sudden heat and you feel as if your whole body is on fire. You feel suffocated and you feel like taking off all your clothes. This heat wave passes away within minutes but some times it persists for hours. This is known as hot flashes which can occur randomly, anywhere and at any time. Hot flashes sweep over your body make you feel intensely hot.

They are accompanied by perspiration, headaches, dizziness, nausea and a faster heart rate. The heat is overpowering and overwhelming and it really makes the clothes you are wearing unbearable or if you are sleeping you want to throw off the quilts even if you are in the middle of the winter season.

You become chilly as the profuse perspiration dries on your skin. Some women experience an aura and can tell the onset of a hot flash which gives them ample time to be prepared for it. Here are the reasons which give rise to hot flashes.

Top Reason For Hot Flashes

Hormones

Estrogen levels in women begin fluctuating. Sometimes these hormones get suppressed due to serious diseases like cancer, or if the ovaries are removed. The blood vessels become enlarged and as these blood vessels dilate, the blood rushes with a force through the body.

This sudden onrushing of the blood creates heat and this is how a hot flash originates. Almost all women go through this distress at some point. Though this condition is harmless it is yet advisable to consult a doctor.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause is the period before menopause. During this period a women’s reproductive activity fizzles out. The ovaries stop producing as much estrogen as they used to and this gives rise to hot flashes.

As a result, irritability and depression set in. perimenopause usually begins around the age of forty but some women have it before they have completed forty years.

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Menopause

During menopause the ovaries stop producing the hormone estrogen all together. Women stop menstruating and the monthly formation of the lining in the uterus to receive the eggs stops too. This causes a lot of hormonal imbalances in the body. Hot flashes and night sweats become a common occurrence.

Pregnancy

As many as sixty percent of women, face hot flashes during pregnancy. It is quite normal to have hot flashes during pregnancy and they are pretty common in the second and third trimesters. The estrogen level keeps fluctuating and drops quite markedly.

Sometimes outside factors such as alcohol and cigarette smoke which is full of nicotine can also disturb the hormonal balance and trigger hot flashes. Other factors like spicy foods, caffeine, fatty foods and improper nutrition can also contribute to hat flashes.

Some other factors could be undue stress and anxiety, sleeplessness and climatic conditions such as hot weather or a hot room. Certain medications which suppress the estrogen levels are another cause. You must keep a proper record of your hot flashes to ascertain their exact cause.